NOV. 6, 2026, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The No. 13-ranked Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team continued its impressive postseason run Friday, earning a pair of three-set sweeps at the NJCAA Great Lakes District A Championship, hosted at GRCC's Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse.
The second-seeded Raiders opened the day with a 25-20, 25-14, 25-16 victory over Kellogg Community College before returning to the court Friday evening to defeat Schoolcraft College 25-15, 25-15, 25-18.
With the two victories, the Raiders improve to 24-6 overall and advance to Saturday's semifinal round, where they will face former conference rival Muskegon Community College at 11 a.m.
The Raiders entered the seven-team tournament with plenty of momentum, having won their opening-round match against seventh-seeded Schoolcraft College in three sets (25-8, 25-14, 25-10) for their 13th consecutive victory. However, a four-set loss to ninth-ranked Mott Community College on Thursday evening sent GRCC into the consolation bracket, where the Raiders responded with two important wins to keep their championship hopes alive.
Friday's Opener: Raiders Take Down Kellogg
Against Kellogg, the Raiders relied on a balanced offensive attack and an outstanding serving performance to earn the sweep.
Although GRCC hit just .208 for the match, the Raiders made up for it with 11 service aces and six blocks.
Vanessa Walker once again filled up the stat sheet, recording 10 kills, 13 assists and a match-high 15 digs. Her kill to end the match secured her second consecutive triple-double.
Kirstyn Lothschultz also finished with 10 kills, adding seven digs and three blocks.
Sophomore middle blocker Zella Hutchings had an outstanding performance, recording seven kills while hitting a match-high .545. She also delivered a career-high five service aces and added a match-high five blocks.
Second Match: Another Sweep Sends Raiders to Semifinals
The Raiders carried their momentum into Friday evening's matchup against Schoolcraft, earning their 23rd sweep of the season with a 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 victory.
GRCC was particularly effective in serve receive, committing zero reception errors in each of the first two sets. The Raiders also turned in their best offensive set of the match in the second, hitting .433.
Lothschultz led all players with 13 kills while hitting .400. Hutchings continued her strong day, adding six kills while hitting a match-high .556, along with two more service aces.
Walker and Charlee Cochran each contributed five kills as the Raiders spread the offensive production around.
Looking Ahead: District Semifinals Saturday
The Raiders now advance to Saturday's semifinal round, where they will face former conference rival Muskegon Community College at 11 a.m.
Should GRCC advance, it would set up a rematch with ninth-ranked Mott Community College in the championship match, scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m.
Full tournament brackets and information are available at:
https://njcaaregion12.org/tournaments/wvballa/2026-27/index
For all the latest news, you can also follow the Raiders on:
Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics? All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.
